Mark Jefferson
"Seriously though, I could frame any one of you in a dark corner, and capture you in a moment of desperation." — Mark Jefferson in "Episode 1: Chrysalis" Mark Jefferson is a photography teacher at Blackwell Academy and the main antagonist of Life Is Strange. He was also a famous photographer in the 90's. He seems to be generally admired by his students, including Max. Biography The following is what Max wrote about Mark in her journal: Not only is Mark Jefferson one of the best photographers in the world, he's also my teacher. And one of the reasons I wanted to come to Blackwell. How often do you get to be mentored by one of your inspirations? I've always loved his deco and goth style and he's so versatile with all of his incredible print and advertising work. Still, Jefferson can be a bit condescending. He's pretty hip for his age, but kinda aloof and sometimes pretentious. He has this smug smile when he thinks he's right... But I do think he's preparing us for how tough it is to be a full time "artist". He acts like he understands my own work and obsession with analog images. He really wants me to enter a photo in this "Everyday Hero" contest but I've done a good job of avoiding that. The winner gets to fly to San Francisco to represent Blackwell Academy and get national exposure. I'd like to think my work could be good enough to win and I'm honored Jefferson even bugs me about the contest. Background Mark is a famous and published photographer who has roots in Oregon. He specialises in black and white photography. He even had his own book published on taking the perfect photograph shot. Much of his work is displayed around the Blackwell campus, particularly at the front of the building in large-scale, outdoor frames. Most of his images seem to be of women in sexualised positions. Mark seems to share Max's love of analogue images, and is passionate about the innocence of subjects in photography. Personality Jefferson seems to be an active and passionate teacher. He cares about the work of his students, making sure they enter the "Everyday Heroes" Contest in order to have a chance at progressing their artistic careers. However, his dismissive treatment of Kate's problems as she asks for help in "Out of Time", portrays him as somewhat callous and insensitive. Jefferson seems to be cautious around the flirtatious nature of his student Victoria. Despite her efforts to flirt with him, he declines; especially as she becomes more explicit in "Chaos Theory". This could be because of the value he places on innocence. Episode One - "Chrysalis" Max initially snaps out of her vision in the middle of Jefferson's photography class. Jefferson wants his students to each submit a photo for the "Everyday Heroes" contest. Max tries to avoid it, but he tells her she needs the courage to share her work. Max can rewind several times in order to impress Jefferson; specifically to steal Victoria's answer about the Daguerreian Process, and to quote John Lennon."Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans" After some exploration in the classroom, we can see that he took a picture of his students in the first week of the semester as well as his photos placed on the front cover of fashion magazines, his highly expensive photography equipment and various art/photography books. Upon speaking with Stella, Max learns of a rumor that Mark had sex with Rachel Amber before she went missing. As it starts to snow at the end of the episode, Mr. Jefferson is shown working on his laptop inside his empty classroom. He notices the snow from the classroom windows and slowly looks up to witness the event. Episode Two - "Out of Time" He is seen talking to Kate about her problems, dismissing her worries and quoting Hamlet, "perhaps she doth protest too much". She asks for help, but becomes frustrated and leaves the school. His insensitivity contributes to her suicide attempt. When Max makes a comparison between Kate and Rachel Amber, Mr. Jefferson remarks that "Rachel was nothing like Kate" and adds that he misses her. As Max tries to find out more about the conversation, Jefferson moves away to take a phone call. He then commences class with another lecture about black and white photography, but is interrupted by the commotion surrounding Kate at the Prescott Dormitory. In Principal Wells' office after the incident with Kate, Max can choose to blame Jefferson for the incident. Wells makes it clear that he should have been more attuned to the needs of his students. Blame Jefferson= If Max blames Jefferson for not being attuned to his student's needs, and being dismissive of her, Wells suspends Jefferson from attending the "Everyday Heroes" Contest, saying that he is no longer a good representative for the school after not showing enough consideration towards his students; particularly due to knowing Kate well after she helped him after class occasionally. |-|Blame either Nathan or David= Jefferson takes no blame and is sent on his way from the office. At the end of the episode, Wells and Jefferson can be seen arguing as Jefferson leaves the Parking Lot in his car. Episode Three - "Chaos Theory" Near the beginning of the episode, Max and Chloe overhear Jefferson talking with Victoria. He was helping her review her portfolio after school hours. She flirts with him and attempts to blackmail him into picking her photo for the "Everyday Heroes" Contest. He refuses her explicit attempts at flirting, and disciplines her, saying she should return to her dormitory. It seems as though he has no interest in pursuing anything with her, and takes a professional approach. Episode Four - "Dark Room" As Max and Chloe enter the Blackwell campus to search Nathan's Room for proof of his involvement in the disappearance of Rachel and the drugging of Kate, they encounter Jefferson. He engages Max and Chloe in conversation, and asks why someone as cool as Chloe doesn't go to Blackwell. The girls seem happy with the quick chat, as Chloe comments that he is "hot for a teacher", and teases Max about her having Jefferson all to herself now that Chloe isn't at Blackwell. After Max talks to Victoria in the VIP section of the End of the World Party, Jefferson appears and has another chat with her and Chloe. He seems happy that she has turned up to the party, and does not act suspiciously if Max asks about Nathan. He excuses himself, getting on stage to make a speech about the winner of the "Everyday Heroes" Contest, which Victoria has won. After receiving a text from Nathan, Max and Chloe rush to the junkyard to protect Rachel's body from being tampered with. As the girls uncover the body again, Max warns Chloe to be quiet, and is approached from behind. Jefferson drugs Max by injecting her with a needle, and then shoots Chloe in the forehead. Max is unable to use her rewind power due to the drugs, and is unable to save Chloe. It is now clear that he had a hand in her disappearance and death, and that he is most likely working with Nathan, the Prescott family, and possibly even Principal Wells.Wells is a known drinker of whiskey; a bottle of the alcohol can be found in his office, as well as in the Prescott Bunker/Dark Room. This is a possible link between the Principal and the room. Although, this is unconfirmed. Episode Five - "Polarized" The preview of "Episode 5: Polarized" features Jefferson standing over a table, filling a needle in the dark room along with a female voice, presumably Max's, in the background crying and begging for mercy. Various spoilers have also been found in game files. Alternate Timeline Although we do not directly meet him in the alternate timeline, his photography are still on display around the Blackwell campus. This calls into question whether alternate Max came back to Arcadia Bay for his teaching or not. However, Rachel Amber is still missing, meaning that Jefferson's involvement with her kidnapping and murder could still be possible in the alternate timeline. Spirit Animal and Symbolism Colour Symbolism Jefferson is heavily associated with the colours black and white, due to both his clothing, and photography style. These colours have been heavily associated with death in the game, and back up theories about Jefferson being involved with the disappearance of Rachel Amber. As of Episode Four, these theories have been confirmed. Spirit Animal It is highly possible that Jefferson's spirit animal is the owl. Its appearance twice in episode four could mean his association with the areas in which is is featured; the barn, which he has obviously been associated with due to the Dark Room beneath it, and the Junk yard right before Jefferson appears to intercept the girls. This owl could have been foreshadowing; ideal in this particular situation considering the symbolism of the owl totem. The owl is highly representative of wisdom and change, as well as the ability to look beyond the ordinary and take inspiration from the things most people cannot see.http://www.spiritanimal.info/owl-spirit-animal/ This makes complete sense considering Jefferson's profession as a photographer; finding inspiration in the tiny details of the world creates good photos. His personal inspiration taken from the beauty of innocence, vulnerability and desperation could be symbolised with this totem. Most importantly, the most traditional symbol associated with the owl is the approach of death, creating change. Obviously this is highly applicable for Jefferson after his encounter with the girls, and his association with Rachel's death. Possible Theories There were theories about Jefferson being responsible in some way for the disappearance of Rachel Amber, and possibly the drugging of Kate Marsh. His black and white photography focuses on sexualised young ladies at the height of their innocence; highly suspicious. His work focuses on innocence, but is similar to the tortured black and white images in Nathan's room, as well as in the Prescott Bunker. His profession's association with "Dark Rooms", used to develop photographs, fed the theory that Nathan's drawing of "Rachel in the Dark Room" from "Chaos Theory", is related to him in some way. This combined with the rumor about Jefferson and Rachel engaging in sexual relations, all led to Jefferson being involved in the suspicious incidents at Blackwell. It is now clear that Kate Marsh was drugged, and dragged to the underground photography studio bunker in order for her photograph to be taken in compromising and vulnerable positions. It is highly implied that Jefferson is in part responsible for this; as well as being responsible for the photographing of many other victims, as well as the photographing and death of Rachel Amber. There is also a strong possibility that he is associating with Nathan Prescott, due to Nathan's link to drugs and his known involvement in the Vortex Club Parties. The bunker was clearly paid for by Sean Prescott, linking the family to the victims, as well as to Jefferson. As of Episode Four, Jefferson is most likely responsible for kidnapping Rachel and Kate, along with various other students he keeps logged in files. It is not fully confirmed whether or not he and Nathan Prescott are working as a team, although the fact that these crimes took place on in a Bunker owned by the Prescott family, makes this a strong likelihood. While Mr. Jefferson has been revealed as the orchestrator of dark room events, many fans still speculate over his true motives. Many simply believe that he's using young women to his advantage in his photography in a deal with the Prescotts. Others believe that he has a much more complex and sophisticated role in the series and that not all is as it appears to be. Fans continue to point out pieces of information which don't seem to all add up to what Mr. Jefferson is doing in the dark room, for example: * Why he kept and released Kate Marsh alive * Why he refuses advances made on him by students (particularly Victoria) * Why he has a very large amount of food and drink stored in the dark room Theories range from him knowing about the end of the world and aiming to prevent it, to being a psychopathic serial killer. A common flawed speculation is that Mr. Jefferson is actually Sean Prescott, Nathan's father. There are two major factors which prove against this theory. The first is the photograph of a young Nathan as a child with his father Sean which can be found in Nathan's dorm room. The second is that during the End of World party Luke mentions that he met Nathan's father once and described him as a "Mean bastard" if it was actually Jefferson then Luke would have instantly known. Many heavily associate Mr. Jefferson's spirit animal with the owl. The owl is first seen in episode four at the barn, the owl's presence there signifies Mr. Jefferson's presence. Also when at the Junkyard towards the end of episode four, the owl flies out of nowhere and surprises you foreshadowing the events that follow. The owl is observant, wise and patient. Another popular theory is the belief that Mr. Jefferson, like Max, has time control powers and/or knew about Max's own abilities; hence why he chose to sedate her in order to prevent her from using her powers to rewind time. His constant mentioning of Max's "gift" could imply that he somehow knows about her abilities. Associated Deaths * Kate Marsh - (Caused, Determinant) Jefferson is in part to blame for Kate Marsh's suicide attempt, due to not taking her worried confession of her unhappiness seriously. It could also be possible that he drugged, or assisted in drugging Kate at the Vortex Club Party she was at. * Rachel Amber - (Likely Caused) Jefferson was most likely involved with Nathan in dosing, coercing and burying Rachel in the junkyard. * Chloe Price - (Caused, Direct)' '''Jefferson shot Chloe in the head after sedating Max with a needle, causing her to be unable to use her rewind. Trivia *In Episode 2 - Out of Time, the quotes Mr. Jefferson tells to Max during their conversation about Kate at the Art Lab, "maybe she doth protest too much" could be refer to the quotes "the lady who doth protest too much, methinks" from the play "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare. *During Episode 3, Max views a social media page supporting Mr. Jefferson. The page states that his birthday is April 11, 1967 and that he attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago. *During "Dark Room", Dontnod are cleverly throwing players off the trail, as they receive a positive image of Jefferson from the playful and helpful conversations he has with Max and Chloe throughout the episode. This narrative device is known as a Red Herring. *Jefferson's license plate is TPFTHLK, a reference to ''Top of the Lake. The show is about a detective investigating the case of a missing girl. *During the "investigation" scene of "Dark Room", David's clues include a photo and location data of Jefferson's car. Cross-referencing the time of Kate's abduction with both Jefferson's and Nathan's vehicles shows that they were both at the same location, at the same time. *In "Dark Room", a note addressed to Nathan can be found attached to the computer screen in the bunker, and is assumed by Max to be from Nathan's father, but is very likely from Jefferson. The note implies that Jefferson's relation to Nathan is that of a guide and mentor. The handwriting of the note also looks very similar to Sean Prescott's. Whether this is intentional or not, has yet to be revealed. References Category:Episode One: Chrysalis Characters Category:Episode Two: Out of Time Characters Category:Episode Three: Chaos Theory Characters Category:Episode Four: Dark Room Characters Category:Episode Five: Polarized Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Blackwell Academy Staff Category:Alive Category:Dark Room Conspiracy